What is the most important thing to know about literacy programming?
And two other questions about schoolwide literacy success
These three questions and my responses were part of a CESA 10 (Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin) literacy panel I participated in virtually for area superintendents. -Matt
1. What is the most important thing to know about literacy programming?
There is no single practice or resource out there that will improve your students’ literacy growth and achievement, at least by itself. Student literacy success is a culmination of many elements, including but not limited to: current and diverse classroom libraries, a schedule that offers ample time for authentic reading, writing, and communicating with few interruptions, shared school literacy beliefs that are agreed upon by every teacher, an instructional framework that describes the promising practices that will likely lead to student engagement and excellence, and a commitment to teachers’ professional learning.
Often, schools and districts devote their limited funds into stuff instead of staff. Too many resources lack an evidence base to support this type of financial commitment. For example, a recent meta-analysis found that Orton-Gillingham reading interventions do not have a statistically significant impact for students who struggle to read.1 Yet this approach is becoming widespread. I am not saying do not use these types of programs – for example, the authors of the meta-analysis stated that more studies are needed to get a better understanding – but we as leaders have an obligation to our students and families to maintain a critical eye toward resources while continuing to invest heavily in our faculty members’ capacity to teach readers, writers, communicators, and thinkers.
2. What system components are necessary to make sure you are meeting the needs of all students?
The priority is classroom instruction. Whatever system components are in place should support a model of continuous improvement that leads to more responsive teaching and an equitable learning experience for all students.
There are a couple of areas that come to mind when thinking about systems and what we might want to pay attention to:
Budgeting: What is being purchased, and what is the anticipated impact of these resources on student learning?
Communication: Do families and the community know about all the good things that are happening in your schools? A communications director can be essential for crafting a positive narrative. I believe this investment leads to a better financial and political climate, which can help with create an appreciative cycle of support.
Expectations: Is it clear to every member of the school community what the goal is as well as the projected plan for achieving success?
Hiring: What is the process in place for bringing in new faculty members who will be both effective today and adaptive for an unknown tomorrow?
Intervention: What is the review process for adopting intervention approaches? If students are placed in a literacy intervention, are we confident that the core (Tier 1) instruction previously provided was effective for students? If not, how will leaders respond to any areas for improvement?
Supervision: How is trust fostered and priorities clarified by administration? Do principals and other building leaders visit classrooms frequently, and are their visits first focused on strengths and teachers’ approximations toward promising literacy practices?
3. What people/positions are important for successful literacy implementation?
I could not have imagined going through last year without our school librarian (her official title is “Library Media Technology Specialist”). She managed a lot of the technologies, provided professional development for teachers as needed, taught students digital skills and tools in the classroom, and offered suggested book titles for teachers as they considered upcoming units of study. This person is a full-time position in our school; we also have a full-time library assistant. The school librarian should be a mandated position by the state for every school (and accompanied with the appropriate funding, of course).
Also, our instructional coach is a half-time position, and I would love to see this become full-time. They are key for helping teachers implement the promising practices learned during professional development. Instructional coaches are also excellent partners with principals. They can help reduce leaders’ professional isolation and improve the focus on successfully implementing a strong literacy program.
Speaking of which, you have as your direct reports one of the most influential people for a successful literacy implementation: the principal. According to a recent research synthesis2, when a less effective principal is replaced by a highly effective principal, it can lead to an increase of almost three months in reading growth for students. (There is a similar impact on math achievement.) Effective principals largely influence student learning through their effects on teachers, such as by engaging in instructional focused interactions with teachers including formal evaluation, instructional coaching, and a data-driven instructional program with equity as the goal.
Therefore, it is critical that there are high expectations plus high support for school principals to become more knowledgeable around literacy. If principals know literacy, they can engage an instructional focused interactions with teachers. They can know literacy often by simply visiting and observing excellent teachers in action without feeling the need to evaluate or judge. Another powerful way for principals to know literacy is to be a participant in professional development focused on improving literacy instruction. As the authors of the synthesis note:
“Principals really matter. Indeed, it is difficult to envision an investment with a higher ceiling on its potential return than a successful effort to improve principal leadership.”
Stevens EA, Austin C, Moore C, Scammacca N, Boucher AN, Vaughn S. Current State of the Evidence: Examining the Effects of Orton-Gillingham Reading Interventions for Students With or at Risk for Word-Level Reading Disabilities. Exceptional Children. 2021; 87(4): 397-417. doi:10.1177/0014402921993406
Grissom, J. A., Egalite, A. J., & Lindsay, C. A. (2021). How Principals Affect Students and Schools: A Systematic Synthesis of Two Decades of Research. The Wallace Foundation. Available: (wallacefoundation.org)